Firearms Sales Continue to Climb in March

NEWTOWN,
Conn. -- Firearm sales continued to surge across the country for the
fifth straight month, extending a trend that began after the November
elections. The increase also follows recent comments by several
high-profile members of the Obama administration about re-imposing
permanently and expanding the ban on modern sporting rifles.

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Data
from the FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS)
show background checks on the sale of firearms jumped 29.2 percent in
March when compared to March 2008 and were up 27.1 percent for the
first quarter of 2009 over the same quarter last year.

The
increase follows a 23 percent rise in February, a 28 percent rise in
January, a 24 percent rise in December and a 42 percent jump in
November, when a record 1,529,635 background checks were performed.

FBI
background checks are required under federal law for all individuals
purchasing firearms from federally licensed retailers. These checks
serve as a strong indicator of actual sales.

Correspondingly, ammunition manufacturers are reporting record sales across the country as demand continues to outpace supply.

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Americans
concerned about their ability to purchase many types of home defense,hunting and target shooting firearms in the future are continuing to
purchase these products in record numbers today," said NSSF President
Steve Sanetti. "Along with this strong sales showing, we've also seen
increased participation in firearm safety and education programs such
as NSSF First Shots."

NICS reported 1,345,096 checks in March, up from 1,040,863 in the same month a year ago.